In Between The Almost and Always
by aominesshi
Summary: Ryo and Alice spend almost half of their life span beside each other. They are always each others' bestfriend. But in certain times, they almost be each other's lover. If only the timing is right. [An anthology for Kurokiba Ryo and Nakiri Alice]
1. Nighty Night

Night is Ryo's favorite time of the day. Because only at night, can he see Alice's state of silence. She looks serene and unbothered in her sleep, while Alice in day mode is one talky and whiny kind of girl we all know. She will ask Ryo to watch movie only to fall asleep 30 minutes or so after it started.

But Ryo will never let her know that he enjoys every moment he carries his miss back to her room and how he loves watching Alice sleep.

Alice, on the other hand, loves the way Ryo plays with her hair every time she sleeps in his room. (She sometimes whines about how bored it is to sleep in her room, and allows her self to slip into the lad's chamber). She gets awake by those soft caresses yet still keep her eyes closed. Until she falls asleep again.

Both favor night as time when one can enjoy each other's company on its best.

"You should lose some weight, milady." Said Ryo one day after their usual movie routine.

"What? I didn't feel like I'm gaining weight?" Alice asked haughtily.

"But you did? You're heavier than usual."

"Oh you measured my weight by carrying me?"

He nods. The white-haired vixen pouts. "You don't work out for nothing, Ryo-kun. A few more kilos of _me_ is still manageable for you to lift, am I wrong?"

He sighed. His missus always has a way to make his words backfired, but he isn't even in the slightest bit displeased.


	2. Forget Me Not?

To associate Kurokiba Ryo with flowers is like associating lion with dolls. It's one hell impossible thing. His bulky muscle that pops out of his body along with his fierce facial features obviously doesn't support the premise mentioned.

But for Nakiri Alice, nothing is impossible.

"Ryo-kun, I need to memorize these flowers names. Help me get the real things." With that, Ryo bursts out to flowers market at dawn on the next day, looking for the most fresh flowers he could find for her.

In the next morning, Alice wakes up to bed full of flowers, scent lingers in the air. "Whoaaaa, they are so beautiful. Thank you Ryo-kun! I'll get them memorized quickly this way!" She smiles so wide that Ryo scared she will break her mouth apart.

From roses to hyacinths, from asters to carnations, until azaleas. Alice beats them all into her skull. Her grandfather sends her to attend an event he's invited on, which is one of the biggest painting exhibition held in town. And its theme is flower. That's why she tries to remember the flower plus its meaning.

On the day of exhibition, Alice slays all the conversation she joins in. As to expect from a Nakiri, nonetheless. She walks around the hall only to stop in front of a certain painting. A painting with a bunch of little blue flowers on it.

 ** _Forget Me Not_**  
 _True and undying love_  
 _Remembrance during partings or after death_  
 _A connection that lasts through time_  
 _Fidelity and loyalty in a relationship, despite separation or other challenges_  
 _Reminders of your favorite memories or time together with another person_  
 _Growing affection between two people_

That's what the board says. A face of a certain boy appears on her mind. A boy who is always by her side, a boy who grows old together with her. A boy who is Kurokiba Ryo. Alice mumbles his name unconsciously.

"Milady? Done yet?" A black-haired boy Alice now imagining on her mind pops out of nowhere.

"A-ah! Yes. I'm just-"

"What are you looking at?" He cuts her answer. "Oh, forget me not."

Alice frowns, confused as to why Ryo looks familiar with the flowers. It's not among the flowers she brought her though.

"You know this?"

He nods. "When I was looking for the flowers you asked, the seller told me about that. She said my girlfriend would be very happy if I gave _you_ -eh her some of them." He shrugged his shoulder, "I don't know the meaning would be this deep."

"G-girlfriend?" Alice stuttered.

"Ah, right. I should have asked your permission first." He chuckles. "Or, should I make you one?"

Red creeps up Alice cheeks after hearing Ryo's words. "W-what do you mean?!"

Ryo smirks at her. "Nothing. I'll just get you a clump of this next time."


	3. Morning Train

**In which Alice was curious of how jam-packed a morning train was and she dragged Ryo out to experience it herself.**

 _ **Disclaimer**_ _: I don't live in Japan and haven't been there too, so I apologize if there's something not suitable to the real situation._

It's a rare night for Ryo not to get dragged by Alice for her movie routine. He's in the middle of consideration though, whether he should question this or just be silently grateful for a free time he rarely had for himself. Little did he know, the witty girl had already planned something else for them the first thing in the morning.

* * *

"Ryo-kun, good morning! Let's get some breakfast and jog to the station!" Alice chirped cheerily at him from the dining table, having her breakfast. She already wore her black training pants paired with a T-shirt that shares similar color. Tight enough to show her best features.

Ryo was hardly processing her words, as he still tried regaining his full consciousness. "Morning, milady. Station? Why do we jog to the station?"

"I've been reading some news of how packed a morning train is and I want to experience it first hand. Quick Ryo-kun, it only lasts till 8!" She beamed, dragging him to his seat.

* * *

Tokyo had no time to wait. People walked in quick pace, in and out from the train station. They arrived at Shibuya Station at 7. Alice looked so much alike to an excited child for her first train ride. Well, it really was her first train ride. Ryo couldn't help but chuckle at his missus. He bought the round-trip ticket to Tokyo tower (since Alice didn't have any idea where they were going to) for each of them and took her hand with him. "You forgot to bring your phone, milady. It's hard for me to find you if you lost. Stay close." Alice only nodded in reply, glad that her aide paid that much attention. _As expected from Ryo-kun_ , she thought. Regardless how natural it was for them to be hand-in-hand, Alice still got a bit flustered.

When they already got in line, Alice poked him soft. "Wow Ryo-kun, look! This is just as same as what I read and watch on the internet! Are people always this many?" She sure was bedazzled by the view that welcome her. Ryo chuckled (again) at her while tightening his grip to her hand, their train was coming.

Alice hopped on first then followed by Ryo. Since the train was packed, they were standing only few inches apart. It never occured to Alice, however, the thought of how standing Ryo was like a perfectly human-sized shield for her. His hands were now on her shoulder, keeping her in balance as the crowd was massively shifting here and there, looking for the comfortable position to stand.

"Is this how you're imagining the train morning, milady?" Ryo stared at her.

She nodded, smiling. "Can get no wrong, Ryo-kun. Have you ever been on a train before?"

"Of course. I'm not you."

Hearing his answers made her puff her cheeks. "I shouldn't have asked."

She was going to ask Ryo another question when she realized a man around 30 has been gulping down her features from top to down. She glared at him. "What's wrong, sir?"

"Ah, nothing. It's just your body is great. Are you just done exercising? The sweats look sexy." He licked his lips a bit.

Alice couldn't believe what she heard. Was he hitting on me? "In case you didn't realize it, it's disgusting. Also, I'm still a minor and you should be ashamed of your-"

"Stay away from _my_ girl, you old jerk." Ryo's voice was deep and husky, it's clear that he's irritated by the man's being.

The man looked like he was just being struck by the lightning. He just realized that Alice was with someone else. "O-oh, haha a fine girl you got here boy. But could I just feel his smooth skin for a bit? C'mon I'm just curious."

Ryo's eyes seemed like going to pop out anytime soon. He got the nerve to say that even in a train this packed? "Lay a finger on her, and I'll make sure to kill you in the next station." His voice was even lower than before, he stared at him with a look that could burn a huge building in mere seconds. His hands found its way to pull Alice closer to him. The old man seemed a bit jittery hearing his words and decided to shamelessly got off in the next stop.

They got off 2 stations later. Hands still intertwined but silence filled the air. Ryo could feel that Alice was a bit trembling back then. Even her hands felt tense right now. He brought her to the closest bench, ready to pull out his intertwining hands go to look for some drinks. But Alice didn't let it go.

Ryo sighed at this sight. "Milady, are you okay?" She nodded but her face still looked pale (paler than it usually was).

"Alice? Hey, look. It's okay now. He's gone." Ryo squeezed her hands lightly. As Alice heard her name mentioned, she turned her face to stare at Ryo. "Thanks, Ryo-kun." She answered in low voice, almost inaudibly.

Ryo knew that she wouldn't ever admit that she's scared. Neither would he mock her for that. He realized that this incident could be traumatizing to her as this was her first experience riding a train. He took a deep breath, "Milady, where are we going-"

"Alice. Just call me Alice from now on." She cut him mid-sentence.

He was taken aback by her words, he frowned at her in confusion. "Why are you suddenly telling me this? Do you feel like you owe me one?"

"I do. But somehow it feels nice to hear you calling me differently."

"I'll just call you a pouty mouth then."

She hit him hard. "Alice or nothing. Note that, Ryo-kun."

Ryo just shrugged it off. It'd get back to milady later, though. It already sticked too familiar on his mind.

"By the way, you still could get angry without that bandana of yours, eh? I just knew it." Alice winked, teasing him. She already gained her composure back. Ryo just left it unanswered.

He couldn't tell her that he could go on rampage _anytime_ if it concerned her.

* * *

 _ **a/n :** Hi, everyone! I keep jumping out writing here and there lol but now I decided to write some Ryoali as my other fav pairing! I try to do them justice buttt still I'm open to your constructive criticism! xx_


	4. Of Drinking and Being Drunk

**Summary** : It only takes Christmas Eve, Denmark, and alcohol to strip Alice bare.

"Ugh, I miss Denmaark!" Alice suddenly whined on one cold December night, flipping the magazine randomly in front of the fireplace.

Ryo, whose thigh becoming her pillow, looked slightly at his missy, already used to her sudden remarks. "Hmm."

"What? You don't wanna come with me?" Alice glanced up, paying attention to her aide's expression.

"I do. But as much as I want to, I have nothing left there. The old man whose pub I used to work at had died. I have no family, relatives, whatsoever. I have no reason to go back. " He answered nonchalantly, still focused on reading some articles.

"You have me." Alice cut him short.

Ryo sighed, his eyes met hers. "And you're here."

"Mou, I mean, go with me Ryo-kun! I don't wanna go alone. That'd be sooo boring! What if some thugs appeared and laid their hands on me?" Alice pouted.

Ryo shrugged off his shoulders. "I have no other option, ain't I?"

* * *

 _Denmark, December 24._

"Milady, it's Christmas eve but here you are stucked with me. Don't you have any family dinner or such?" Ryo asked Alice who was busy playing his video game.

They were now in Ryo's apartment, not far from Nakiri Mansion. Despite having his own room in the residence, Ryo thought having an individual unit was necessary. Other than he could have some quiet time alone, it's also a good property investment, since the location was far from being remote and cannot be said at disadvantage. Though by far, Alice never let him be alone more than 3 hours long.

"It's blizzard outside, if you forgot. I'll excuse my self to warm up here. Christmas dinner is tomorrow, you should come along!" She chimed in, not even looking at the dark-haired boy. "Argh, I almost win!" She yelled.

"I'd better stay here. You rarely get chance to be alone with your family." He answered her remark.

Alice looked up from her game. "There's no way I left you here alone. Christmas is supposed to be celebrated together."

"It's alright. I'm gonna be okay."

"Okay, let's do a shokugeki. If I win-" Alice stopped in the middle of her words. "Right, we agreed to that."

Alice and Ryo had come to agreement of no shokugeki during their time in Denmark. Alice persistently said they're going for a break, though wherever they went, it's almost impossible to do that. This time, she pushed the boy to agree by winning a shokugeki before they went off. Therefore, his bandana was hers to hide until they're back to Japan.

Ryo brought a plate full of grilled crayfish with spicy garlic butter he made before, along with a bottle of akvavit. Without his bandana, Ryo was still a good cook, only less vigorous and fiery.

"Since I don't have my bandana, I couldn't think of anything to cook." He shoved the plate to her.

Alice beamed at the sight. "Whoaa Ryo-kun! This is more than enough! You sure know what to cook here! The Danish we are!"

Ryo's lips slightly curved upward. He poured the akvavit to both her glass and his own.

Alice lift her glass up, eyes twinkling with joy. "It's been so long since I have a glass of this. Skål!"

Ryo mimicked his missy. "Skål!"

They enjoyed the food and drink cheerfully. Alice couldn't stop talking about their old days. How they first met, how Ryo ignored her, their first shokugeki, the difference between having Christmas here and Japan, and so on. She kept on going, and on and on. Ryo, on the other side, was listening to her attentively. He always loved hearing her talk, without a reason. No matter how noisy and repetitive the story was, he always found himself as a good listener.

More than half bottle of akvavit later, the white-haired girl started to ramble on. Her alcohol tolerance was definitely lower than Ryo's, though she always insisted otherwise.

"Milady, c'mon we need to get you home." Ryo tried to get Alice stand, but the latter refused to do so. "It's cold outside, Ryo-kun. I'm staying here tonight."

"You're drunk. Besides, I only have one bed here."

"It's okay, I can sleep with you. And I'm not drunk." Her voice was hoarse and her head already leaned on her aide's shoulder.

"You could even barely hold your head up, and you said you're not drunk?" Ryo chuckled.

"I'm not~ Try to listen, I still can remember the face you make when you lose to me. You looked soo upset but couldn't find a way to run from your words. A man of words, I see." Alice flashed a little smile, even with her eyes closed. "I was very happy to have a friend back then, you know? I always wanted to meet Erina, yeah you know the story. And then you came with me, though involuntarily at first. But as time goes by, I really hope you stayed because you want to, not because I forced you to. I'm alwaays thankful to have you here, Ryo-kun." Hik! She hiccuped before she continued. "Do you remember the day when the old man death news came? For the first time in years, I saw you got more upset than ever before. I don't know if it's because the old man could no longer see your cultivated cooking skill, or because you couldn't show me that you're sad and you held them in, or other reason. But the only thing you should know is, I'm your friend too, Ryo-kun. You could get upset, sad, and happy in front of me. So please, in the future, do tell me all of your feeling. Not as my aid, but as the real Kurokiba Ryo. You know, I always prefer you not wearing the bandana."

"Why?" Ryo asked faintly.

"I don't know. I just think...you looked more like you."

Ryo swore this girl could be the death of him. He was at a loss of words upon hearing Alice's rambling. He couldn't believe she could get this honest when she's drunk. There's no way in hell she would talk like this when she was sober. Her pride was on cloud nine.

"C'mon, time to sleep." He lift Alice up in bridal style, bringing her to his room. He put off her shoes and covered her in blanket. He wanted to lay on the sofa but Alice's hand clenched tightly at his tshirt, didn't let him go.

"Milady, I'm going to sleep over there." He tried to shake it off, but she didn't budge. Ryo sighed in defeat. "Alright, I'll sleep here."

They used to sleep together, when Alice stubbornly wanted to camp outside but had no heart to do it alone. Or when she trembled in fear after reading volumes of Goosebumps series. Ryo was there, witnessing all of her fake courage acts. Alice was never like Erina, unless her stubbornness. She was more expressive and pompous, yet a big crybaby. She was insecure and felt inferior to her cousin, though she never blatantly showed it. Ryo knew, he always knew. But to think his missy observed him as much?

"Ryo, thank you." He heard Alice whispered. "For being here and there. For everything."

Ryo stared at the beauty before his eyes. He leaned closer, for a split second doubting something he was about to do, but then he pressed his lips on hers. Just a chaste kiss, yet it sent shivers down his spine. He didn't even know why.

"I'm the one who should thank you. Thank you for persistently coming back to challenge me back then, Alice."

* * *

Alice woke up with a light headache. She spotted Ryo lying next to her, trying to remember what happened last night. She could only remember talking about the old days. Did she get wasted last night?

"Totally." A hoarse voice cracked beside her. She must have voiced her question out.

"What are you doing here?! Did I do something weird?" Alice stared at the black-haired boy whose hair was disheveled after sleeping.

Ryo rolled his eyes a little. "This is my apartment milady, if you didn't remember. Also, you didn't let go of me at all last night. I was basically forced to sleep here, in my own bedroom."

"Okay...I'm sorry. Anything else?" She asked again, as if not sure she only did as much.

"Yes. You kissed me. Hard."

"...Holy crap. I'm sorry, Ryo-kun! Don't get mad at me, okay? I'm sorry!" Alice put her hands together and shut her eyes closed. Her face turned to a total crimson.

Ryo stifled a laugh that sounded like a grunt. "I'm joking."

"What?! You could throwing jokes now?" Alice hit his arm hard. "It's no fun!"

 _It's me who did, though. But it would be a secret until...later_. Ryo thought to himself.

* * *

 **a/n** : Hi, it's me again. The jobless me is jobless and somehow I came up with a random story and (seemingly) ooc Alice and Ryo. Well, I do take civil criticism, so please let me know your thoughts! And since I don't celebrate christmas, happy holiday to you all!


	5. On A Smoky Feeling

**Summary** : Ryo's head gave up finding an answer, so his body took the task over.

Nothing bothered Kurokiba Ryo more than his missus well being. Ryo was always the one who take care of Alice when she's sick, sad, and moody. Ryo was basically there when life didn't treat Alice fair.

Just like yesterday, she burst into the mansion with tears streamed down her face. Lucky that no one saw that except for him. He followed her into her room, standing in silence until her sob slowly faded and she looked up, staring into his black orbs.

"Am I really ugly that everyone who dated me actually had a crush on Erina?" Was the sentence coming out of her mouth. Ryo straightly knew that his boyfriend, already an ex probably, was another jerk using her as a jump stone to get close to Erina. His fist clenched hard, as he turned around, bandana in one hand, ready to fight the bastard who made his missy cried.

"Ryo-kun. No. He doesn't even worth your punch. I should have listened to your words. Sorry." Alice held his arms, preventing him to go further.

Ryo turned to his missy, frowning. "Do you still love him after what he had done?"

Alice shook his head. "Of course not! I just- don't want you to get hurt."

"I'll win, milady. Don't worry." He tried to let her hands go, but she refused to do so.

"No. I want you to accompany me here." Alice muttered, hands tight on his arms.

Ryo, having no heart to disobey her at her recent state, let out a heavy sigh before saying a simple, "Okay."

"Let's watch some movies!" Alice sang a bit too cheerfully, dragging Ryo with her. But Alice being Alice, she only survived through the first half of the movie (on which Ryo sure didn't fully have her attention too) before she fell asleep. Then, as always, Ryo was the one who brought her back to her bedroom.

* * *

Ryo had come back into his room. He tried to shut his eyes closed, hoping sleep would soon be coming, but failed miserably. He wanted to shrug the image of his crying missy off his mind, yet it kept on coming again and again. This was not the first time a jerk like that appeared and asked Alice out, only for her to find out later that they were after her cousin instead. Alice was smart, yet a fool when it came to the matter of love. As much as she tried to appear so knowledgeable in that field, she's still an inexperienced one. Because Ryo knew that much, he always tried to warn her. He always had this uncomfortable feeling when she said she's dating someone. A feeling he couldn't shake off. So for that reason, he took something from his bed drawer and walked out to the balcony.

Spring has just started and the wind grazing his skin still felt chilly. Sky was not in its best condition apparently, dark clouds covering the stars and the full moon. Ryo lit up his cigarette and inhale its smoke deeply. He didn't smoke on daily basis, he was a chef after all. But when something was bothering him, he did. Occasional way to calm the nerves down, he once said. He thought about the uneasiness he felt everytime he saw Alice cried because of her boyfriend. The pang he always refused to acknowledge when she cheerfully talked about her lover. The stirred stomach she caused him when she leaned in for comfort. Ryo thought about this for a long time, but always came up with a same conclusion of " _Of course I'd be worried. I'm her aide."_

When his cigarette already burnt to half and he heard someone stepped closer, he snapped out of his reverie. He turned around only to find Alice standing there.

"Milady? What are you doing here?" He blurted out the question by reflex, though he felt like a fool right after. The balcony on which they were standing right now could only be accessed through their rooms, since theirs were the only rooms on this mansion side. Hence, no one would ever be there but them or those they allowed to.

"You're smoking." She ignored the former's question. "Got something on mind?"

Ryo stared at his missy, gulping her features down from head to toe. From her tousled hair that framed those pale-skin face, her wrinkled night gown, until the short nude pink socks she wore. Ryo has seen this sight hundred times already, but he still couldn't get enough. He put out his cigarette as Alice walked closer.

"Nothing specific." He lied, pressing down his thought for now. Alice stopped right next to him, eyes wandered to the horizon.

"Say, Ryo. Have you ever thought about me as a woman? Not your miss, not your rival, but purely as a woman. An ordinary woman you could hate or love." Asked Alice, her voice evidently showing hurt.

Ryo was startled to hear her dropped the -kun she usually used. She rarely talked without honorifics to him, but when she did, she was being really serious.

"...Probably more often than myself even realized." Ryo spilled out. He didn't know what to say, as he also didn't want to lie to her.

Alice turned her head to him, smiling a bit. "Thanks. But I need honest answer right now."

"I don't know. There's a chance that is...true."

Upon hearing his answer, Alice turned her whole body back to face her aide. "For real? I don't think you've ever thought of someone like that. I mean, you don't look like the type-"

Ryo cut her words and pulled her into a kiss. He didn't know why he did that. He just...did. Yet that felt so right when he felt those pair of rosy flesh against his. Damn, he didn't know her lips taste this sweet. He had anticipated Alice to push him right away, yelling of how inappropriate his doing was, and then left. But that didn't happen. Instead, he felt Alice pull the back of his neck closer.

On the other hand, Alice who was taken aback by her aide's sudden action got only seconds to react. She had kissed before, but nothing, nothing compared to the tingling sensation she felt the moment Ryo's lips touched hers. It was like thousand butterflies flying at once, bringing her up to the mid air. His lips were unexpectedly soft, a total no match to his hard expression. Alice could taste the hint of clove, cinnamon, and mint from his earlier cigarette when Ryo started to nibble her lower lips. Alice had to thank Hayama later for meddling with his cigarette blend.

They didn't pull apart until they ran out of oxygen, each tried to inhale as much as they lost few seconds ago. "Milady, I-" Ryo trailed off, trying to explain what he had just done to the woman standing in front of him.

"I don't want to hear you say it's a mistake. I want no apology." Alice said firmly, challenging his eyes to meet her.

"It's not." Ryo answered as firm, "I wanted to. Or I should say, my body led me that way."

Alice chuckled, cheeks tinted in pink. "You're not impressing any girl this way, Ryo. It's not going to work."

"Won't it work on you too, Alice?" Ryo smirked, carefully bring his hands wrapped around the said girl, pulled her into an embrace.

"Let's see." She flashed her signature cheshire-cat smile.

She probably would tell by tomorrow that it's a mistake. Or she probably wouldn't. He couldn't tell which one. The former suppressed feeling resurfaced again, haunting his mind. _So I kissed her. Now what? I still couldn't name this feeling. I probably should ask someone. The redhead or the spice fucker, perhaps?_

* * *

 _ **a/n**_ : It's another I-don't-know-what-I-was-writing-about-but-I-wrote-it-anyway kind of fic lol I want to make this a continuous story but welp I was never, never good enough with them so I'll stick with this type instead, for now. I wanted to try portraying Ryo's conflicted feeling because in my head, it's Ryo who first realized his feeling. Like, I always think he's more sensitive than he appeared to be. Well, I open to any civil criticism, so lemme know your thoughts! Have a nice day🌼


End file.
